This invention relates to a seat for introducing invalids into a shower. More particularly it provides a displaceable seat that will permit an individual to be shifted from a seated position outside a combination bath-shower to an inner position where showering can occur.
The bathing of persons who are essentially unable to walk or support their bodies for entry into a shower stall creates problems for health care personnel. Particularly in homes, combination bath-shower units provide a barrier in the form of the bathtub wall over which the invalid must pass in order to be showered.
Various sliding seat systems have been proposed to aid in this process, avoiding exposure of the health care professional to physical strain. These include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,940,905; 5,822,809; 5,373,591; 4,359,791; 4,253,203 and 4,168,549. All of these systems, with the exception of patent 5,373,591 provide for the protrusion of seat support structures into the interior of the bathroom adjacent a tub with no option of reduction in size.
The need for a bathtub chair capable of moving an patient from the outside of a bathtub into the bathtub enclosure to have a shower/bath is due to the undesirability of requiring the caregiver to move the patient to the center location of the bathtub by stepping into the bathtub. Stepping into the bathtub or even bracing a foot onto the far ledge to lift a patient can be dangerous to both the patient and the caregiver. For this reason some caregiver employers are discontinuing bath services and supplying only a sponge bath for persons who are under their daily personal care.
In many prior art systems a seat is provided with bearings, e.g. rollers or sliders, that allow the seat to be shifted over a bathtub sidewall along tracks or rails. The tracks have, in the past, been supported by legs that extend to the floor of the bathtub on one side, and to the floor of the room exterior to the bathtub on the other side. While these systems may have been effective within their limitations, a need still exists for a displaceable bathing chair positioning system that will permit, without exposing the health care worker to risk, the appropriate transfer of a patient from the outside to the inside of a tub for showering. This should operate without occupying valuable bathroom floor space when not in use. This invention addresses such need.
It would be particularly desirable to provide a bathtub chair system that will supply the following:
reduces in size to almost the width of the bathtub when in the bathing position or when not in use
is adaptable to more than 90% of all bathtubs on the market due to dimensions
maintains a constant height regardless of the height of the bathtub for easy transfer
allows a caregiver to place their feet under the chair to lift the a person for improved transfer mechanics
provides sturdiness by which the base of the chair is locked/wedged into position
has a structure which is light enough to be removed for others to use the bathtub.
The invention in its general form will first be described, and then its implementation in terms of specific embodiments will be detailed with reference to the drawings following hereafter. These embodiments are intended to demonstrate the principle of the invention, and the manner of its implementation. The invention in its broadest and more specific forms will then be further described, and defined, in each of the individual claims which conclude this Specification.
A seat is mounted to roll on rails from a position outboard the side of a bathtub to a location over the center of a bathtub where a person may be washed or showered. Two rails span the width of the bathtub. Such rails are supported on the inner side by inner rail-support means such as legs extending to the bathtub floor, a bathroom wall attachment and/or through spacers extending to the inner ledge of the bathtub. These rails are further supported on the outerside by outer rail-support means preferably in the form of two fixed rail-support legs that extend to the floor adjacent the exterior wall of the tub. Optionally, the exterior support may also extend to the outer bathtub ledge or wall.
The seat is itself mounted on two transverse, seat supporting bars, held off the floor on the side of the seat remote from the bathtub by two moveable seat-support legs. Thus, preferably, four legs are present in the bathroom outside of the bathtub. The other ends of the seat supporting bars carry respective seat-support bearings, e.g. rollers shaped and positioned to engage with the two rails. The exterior ends of the seat supporting bars, opposite to the bearings are preferably free to be elevated while the bearings continue to rest on the rails. Preferably such elevation occurs with the bearings being located at the axis of rotation, allowing the seat to be more readily advanced in a wheelbarrow-like fashion with reduced risk of galling or jamming.
By advancing the supporting bars inwardly, allowing the seat-support bearings (e.g. rollers) to advance along the rails, the seat may be shifted from a location outside of the bathtub to a location centered over the bathtub. To facilitate this motion, the moveable legs may be provided with casters. These casters may be fitted with one or more locks preferably actuatable, e.g. through linkages, by a person assisting the invalid, or by a person positioned on the seat.
Braces may stiffen the rails, the support bars and the respective pairs of legs. The seat may be provided with arm rests and a back rest.
To ensure that the rails are not displaced during use, a positioning brace may extend downwardly from the rails to engage with the inside surface of the bathtub wall.
By employing rail-support legs to support the rails, the assembly may be made independent of the height of the bathtub outer sidewalls. Where the inner side of the tub has an inner sidewall of appropriate height, the rails may alternately rest on the top ledge surface provided by the inner sidewall. This arrangement dispenses with the need for support legs to extend downwardly from the rails within the tub. To accommodate inner ledges of differing heights, the inner ends of the rails may be provided with adjustable spacers that extend downwardly to rest on the inner ledge.
The foregoing summarizes the principal features of the invention and some of its optional aspects. The invention may be further understood by the description of the preferred embodiments, in conjunction with the drawings, which now follow.